28 Nosler - Berger Bullets

.28 T
Brian Pearce
Nosler
Shooting a New
7mm Magnum
30
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he Nosler Model 48 first appeared in 2005 as Nosler’s
first entry into the sporting rifle market. During the
1940s, John Nosler began experimenting with premium hunting bullets, which ultimately led to the
development and production of the
Nosler Partition bullet in 1948 and
explains why this rifle is appropriately known as the Model 48. By
producing its own rifle and hunting ammunition, Nosler was positioned to develop new cartridges.
Examples include the .280 Ackley
Improved and .26 Nosler. A new cartridge for 2015 is the .28 Nosler that
features a beltless case, power, high
velocity and a flat trajectory.
The Model 48 has earned a reputation for quality and
accuracy. The flagship rifle is the NoslerCustom in a
fancy-grade checkered walnut stock, and it is guaranteed to give .5-inch or less groups at 100 yards with
prescribed ammunition. Retail is $4,495. Although there
are many variants, including the Long Range, Expedition, Brush Country, etc., the Patriot, Outfitter and
Heritage models are production rifles and retail between $1,795 and $1,895.
All metal is coated with CERAKOTE, which helps reduce friction on working parts, is largely scratch resistant and helps prevent rust. Nosler bead blasts the
metal before the CERAKOTE is applied, which is then
baked on and results in a nonglare matte finish.
The Nosler Model 48 action is a push-feed system
with typical countersunk bolt face, plunger ejector
and rotating extractor that measures 1.300 inches in
length and is staked to the bolt body. It resembles the
AR-15/M16 pattern extractor. The bolt features twin
locking lugs and results in a 90-degree lift. The bolt
body is fluted to reduce friction and is generously
vented to divert gases down into the magazine and
away from the shooter in the unlikely event of a ruptured case. The bolt sleeve cap likewise offers protection from gases. The firing pin is a one-piece design
and is easily removed for cleaning without tools. The
bolt stop is constructed of a minimum of materials but
is nonetheless strong. The bolt handle is gracefully
swept back, while the knob is knurled.
The receiver is flattened on each side just below the
round top, giving it a unique look, but also serves to
reduce weight. The action is secured to the stock via
two guard screws with Torx heads, and the floorplate
is hinged. The trigger guard and floorplate are constructed of alloy, at least on the Patriot model used
herein.
Model 48 variants are offered with two- and threeposition safeties, with the Patriot
model having the twoposition type that
allows the bolt to
be opened when
it is in the ON
position. Trigger options include Timney
for a three-position safety and
Rifle Basix for a
two-position safety
(standard on the Patriot). Either is fully ad-
Left to right: .28 Nosler, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm
Weatherby Magnum, 7mm STW and 7mm Remington Ultra
Mag.
justable and offers a crisp let-off that is factory set at
around 3 pounds.
The stock is constructed of a blend of Kevlar and
other synthetic materials that provide lightweight construction and strength. It is a classic design with a
cheekpiece and is fitted with a black, one-inch Pachmayr Decelerator pad. The base color is gray with a
dash of green and is painted with a black speckling
overlay. The stock is fitted with aluminum pillars, but
the receiver and stock are also carefully bedded using
MarineTex. The barrel free floats in the forearm channel and is stainless steel, button rifled and handlapped.
To evaluate the Model 48 Patriot, a Leupold VX-6
2-12x 42mm CDS-ZL scope (30mm main tube) was installed using Leupold QR bases and rings. It offers 6x
optical zoom with a twin bias erector system constructed of beryllium copper alloy leaf springs that are
lightweight and shock-resistant. The 2-12x power
combination allows it to be at home when hunting in
the brush and timber or in open country. In addition
to being illuminated, it features ¼-MOA finger click adjustments, fast-focus eyepiece and is argon/krypton
gas-filled to provide waterproofing. It also features
Leupold’s Xtended Twilight coatings to optimize light
transmission that is coordinated specifically to match
the human eye, and the ion-assisted coating offers a
tough, scratch-resistant finish.
Open-country hunters will appreciate the Leupold
Custom Dial System (CDS) that compensates for bullet drop. It was given a thorough workout on a 500www.riflemagazine.com
31
.28 Nosler
yard range, and it worked precisely.
As a free service, contact Leupold
with the ballistics of your cartridge and load, (bullet, BC, velocity, average elevation, temperature,
etc.), and the company will send a
customized dial to match. The dial
is available with a one-turn zero
stop or two-turn without the zero
stop.
The .28 Nosler is based on the .26
Nosler case necked to accept 7mm
or .284-inch bullets. It is based
loosely on the beltless .404 Jeffery
case or the more familiar Remington Ultra Mag with the shoulder
set back to reduce case capacity
when compared to the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag.
By moving the shoulder back,
reducing capacity and changing
Above, the Nosler Model 48 Patriot
features a two-position safety. Right,
the Rifle Basix trigger is fully adjustable
for pull and after-travel.
RUM – or any other commercially
available 7mm cartridge, for that
matter. Although a number of
NoslerCustom factory loads are
expected to begin appearing by
early spring 2015, initially the .28
Below, the classic-styled stock on the Model 48 Patriot features a cheekpiece.
Right, it also features an alloy, hinged floorplate.
the shoulder angle to 35 degrees,
Nosler claims to increase efficiency. Advertised velocities for
the .28 Nosler exceed the 7mm
is advertised to push a 160-grain
AccuBond Long Range bullet 3,300
fps or a 175-grain AB LR 3,125 fps.
These figures exceed 7mm RUM
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• Two-Day Range
Instruction
• 1000 yd. and 1250 yd.
Shooting Ranges
• .223, .308 and .300
caliber rifles provided
• Increase Shooting
Distance to 600-800
yds. and Beyond
advertised velocities by around
100 fps and are well below SAAMI
maximum average pressure limits
(65,000 psi).
Maximum overall loaded length
for the .28 Nosler is 3.340 inches,
the same as the .30-06, so it can be
housed in standard length actions
rather than the .375 H&H “magnum” length required for the 7mm
RUM and 7mm STW cartridges.
The only factory load available at
press time was the NoslerCustom
175-grain AccuBond Long Range,
which was effectively prototype ammunition. In checking velocity, five
shots averaged 3,209 fps (84 fps
faster than advertised) and had an
extreme velocity spread of 38 fps.
Rifle 280
The twin-lug bolt head features a
rotating extractor, plunger ejector
and countersunk face.
Nosler guarantees each Model
48 Patriot to produce a .75-inch
group or less using its premium
ammunition. From a sandbag rest,
four, three-shot groups averaged
.68 inch.
Before discussing specific handload data, the folks at Nosler indicated its factory loads are well
below industry maximum average
pressure limits that are established
May-June 2015
A variety of bullets and powders was used to develop .28 Nosler handload data.
at 65,000 psi. With the right powder and bullet combinations, it is
possible to exceed factory load
performance.
To begin developing handload
data, a sized case was checked
for water capacity, which was
101.6 grains when filled level with
the case mouth. With this much
case volume, combined with .28
caliber, powders with a burn rate
that fall roughly between Alliant
Reloder 22 through Hodgdon US
869 will probably give the best
overall performance. Although a
complete handloading feature article will eventually be published
in Handloader magazine, for the
purposes of this article, four powders were selected: IMR-7828,
Ramshot Magnum, Alliant Reloder
25 and Hodgdon Retumbo. To as-
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PRECISION CUSTOM RIFLES
• Over 50 years combined small arms experience.
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Howa, most bolt actions.
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• Complete custom rifles: hunting, benchrest, tactical.
Call for options and/or quote.
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• NFA gunsmithing.
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.28 Nosler
.28 Nosler Handloading Data
bullet
(grains)
powder
140 Barnes TTSX BT
IMR-7828
160 Sierra spitzer BT
Magnum
162 Hornady A-MAX
RL-25
168 Berger VLD
Retumbo
168 Nosler AccuBond LR
Retumbo
175 Nosler Partition
Retumbo
JON TRAMMEL’S GUNSMITHING
31 Years
Experience
Old World Craftsmanship
21st Century Technology
Action Blueprinting ± .0003 • Factory Rifle Accurizing
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Trigger Jobs • Muzzle Brakes • Carbon Fiber Barrels
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280 Ackley 30 BR • 6mm Dasher
Jon Trammel • 120 W. Walker • Breckenridge, TX 76424
Tel: (254) 559-3455 • E-Mail: [email protected]
175 Nosler AccuBond LR factory
charge
(grains)
83.0
84.0
85.0
86.0
87.0**
83.0
84.0
85.0
86.0
87.0
88.0
82.0
83.0
84.0
85.0
86.0
83.0
84.0
85.0
86.0
83.0
84.0
85.0
86.0
80.0
81.0
82.0
83.0
84.0
overall
loaded
length
(inches)
3.283
3.335
3.340
3.340
3.340
3.325
velocity
(fps)
3,417
3,449
3,504
3,577
3,626*
3,153
3,182
3,222
3,249
3,288
3,313*
3,197
3,235
3,280*
3,324
3,373
3,187
3,228*
3,277
3,317
3,169
3,205
3,255
3,289*
3,096
3,113
3,143
3,165
3,182*
3,209
* most accurate powder charge for that bullet
** maximum
Notes: A Nosler Model 48 Patriot with a 26-inch barrel was used to test-fire the above loads. NoslerCustom cases and Federal 215 Match (large rifle magnum) primers were used throughout. Bullet diameter: .284 inch; maximum OAL: 3.340 inches; maximum case length: 2.590 inches; trim-to length:
2.570 inches.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.
semble ammunition, a set of Redding Deluxe dies was ordered that
included both neck and full-length
sizer dies.
tween 100 and 180 grains, but 140through 175-grain weights will
probably prove most popular and
useful in this cartridge.
There is a huge selection of
7mm/.284-inch hunting and match
bullets that typically weigh be-
Using the Barnes 140-grain Tipped
TSX pushed with 87.0 grains of
IMR-7828, velocity reached over
3,600 fps and groups hovered between .75 and 1.00 inch. Moving
up to the Sierra 160-grain spitzer
boat-tail, 86.0 grains of Ramshot
Magnum reached around 3,250
fps, and groups hovered around
one inch. Changing the bullet seating depth (COAL) to 3.335 inches
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Rifle 280
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- Since 1949 -
Erhardt Custom Guns
This tight group was fired with handloads containing Nosler 168-grain
AccuBond LR bullets and Hodgdon
Retumbo powder.
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Helena, MT 59602
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and increasing the powder charge
to 88.0 grains jumped velocity to
over 3,300 fps, and three shots
clustered just under .70 inch.
The Hornady 162-grain A-MAX
gave remarkable accuracy when
pushed 3,280 fps using 84.0 grains
of Alliant RL-25 (with maximum
velocities reaching 3,373 fps with
86.0 grains). With three shots in a
single hole, the best group easily
measured under .5 inch and was
the most accurate load recorded
from this rifle.
Both the Berger 168-grain VLD
and Nosler AccuBond LR reached
around 3,300 fps using 86.0 grains
of Hodgdon Retumbo. Both bullets have unusually high ballistic coefficients and produced excellent long-range accuracy. The
Nosler 175-grain Partition reached
3,182 fps using 84.0 grains of Retumbo and stayed under one inch.
It is suggested to use a large rifle
magnum primer, with the Federal
215 Match selected to develop
all accompanying handload data.
To achieve uniform ballistic performance, the powder charges
listed as “start” loads should not
be reduced.
In developing handloads and
working with factory ammunition,
the .28 Nosler performance exceeded that of any other regularly
available commercial 7mm cartridge. The .28 Nosler is modern
in every respect; it is beltless, accurate, fast and fits in a standard
R
.30-06 length action.
May-June 2015
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